Posts from January 2009

January 28, 2009

A few years back, I had the pleasure of attending Kiki & Herb: Alive From Broadway during its run in Boston. I came away with the conclusion that the show was robbed (robbed!) of a 2007 Tony Award by the vastly inferior Jay Johnson: the Two and Only. (I actually saw both shows, unlike most of the Tony voters.)

I was particularly impressed by Justin Bond as the eponymous Kiki. Bond is more than just a drag queen: he's a consummate performer who embodies an uncannily credible character who is every bit as fierce as she is vulnerable. So when I came across the DVD Kiki & Herb: Live at the Knitting Factory, I knew I had to pick up a copy.

For the uninitiated, Kiki & Herb comprise Bond and pianist Kenny Melman, a post-Modern cabaret duo who have been performing together since the early '90s. Most of the songs that the pair perform have failed to register permanently in my consciousness, despite multiple viewings, although Kiki does do a kick-ass rendition of the Bonnie Tyler power ballad "Total Eclipse of the Heart."

Perhaps my memory lapse stems from Kiki & Herb's preferred volume level, which I can best describe as "piercing." This was quite irksome when I saw them live, but at least with the DVD I can turn down the volume. Melman in particular seems to favor a key-pounding, throat-scraping, microphone-chewing delivery that I'm sure is deliberate, but that doesn't mean it's entertaining. Also, for some reason, both performers appear on the DVD with rather obvious, unconvincing aging makeup, which basically consists of a series of unblended black lines scrawled across their faces. Again, intentional to be sure, but somewhat inscrutable.

But all of that sort of misses the point of Kiki & Herb, which for me is really all about Bond and his seemingly rambling, interstitial monologues, which at any given time might rail against the Bush administration, issue forth a demand for marriage equality, or regale the faithful with sacrilegious claims of Kiki knowing Jesus in the Biblical sense. The overall effect is alternately mystical and nihilistic, reverential and profane. Bond's patter alone makes the DVD worth the price, but there are also some fascinating special features that serve as a sort of video history of the evolution of the Kiki character.

The DVD isn't available on Amazon until April 7th, 2009, but it's currently for sale at PlaybillStore.com. Kiki and Herb certainly aren't to everyone's taste, but for those who are willing to venture beyond your typical, safe cabaret show, there's a wealth of pleasure to be had herein. Just keep the volume control handy.

January 27, 2009

Although Spring Awakening recently closed on Broadway, it was certainly one of the more interesting and ambitious shows to tread the boards over the last few seasons. Some found it overly depressing and pretentious, but there was no denying the power of the story, the dynamism of Michael Mayer's direction, and the magnetism of the uniformly talented cast.

One of my initial concerns about Spring Awakening was the often non-integrated nature of the score. Duncan Sheik's songs, with lyrics by Steven Sater, didn't always seem directly relevant to the action at hand. But I eventually reconciled that concern with Mayer's deliberately anachronistic, almost Brechtian presentation. Yeah, the show was set in the 19th century, and here we have these kids singing into microphones, and talking about listening to stereos, and singing directly to the audience. But all that seemed part of a conscious decision on the part of the creators to try to give the story more universal resonance, something that today's youth could more directly identify with.

Since the success of Spring Awakening, we've been hearing periodically about other musical-theater projects that Duncan Sheik has been working on, including Whisper House, which comes out today in concept-album form. The new CD features Sheik on vocals, along with guest artist Holly Brooke.
The songs sport music by Sheik and lyrics by Sheik and Kyle Jarrow (A Very Merry Unauthorized Children's Scientology Pageant), the latter of which is also providing the book for the developing show. The story centers around a mother and child who live in a lighthouse in Maine around the time of World War II. The boy's father dies in the war, and the story of the child's and the mother's grief is related through the eyes of the ghosts who haunt the lighthouse. An intriguing scenario, to be sure.

But as a possible result of the ghosts-as-narrator conceit, Whisper House plays, at least on CD, more like a soundtrack than a cast album: the songs comment on the action rather than propel it forward. Except for the first two songs, it's hard to figure out what's going on in the story from just listening to the CD. Of course, the same can be said of a number of other shows, including Cabaret.

The songs of Whisper House themselves are pleasant enough, although by the end of the CD I found myself struggling to distinguish the different tracks from each other. They all seemed to blend together into one album-long lament. I think I was also becoming increasingly perturbed that the songs didn't seem to be telling the story. The only track from the CD that has stuck with me in "The Tale of Solomon Snell," a macabre little self-contained fable with some catchy orchestral touches.

The melodies and orchestrations of Whisper House seem to consciously echo those of the The Eagles and The Beatles, although the dated nature of those references should give you an inkling of how long it's been since I paid any attention to "popular" music. The lyrics fall frequent victim to slant rhyme, pairing "precaution" with "Boston" and "arrival" with "style." This is also true of Spring Awakening, and I, for one, have little patience for it. I know it's an acceptable practice in pop music, but I'm a bit of a purist, and hold musical theater to a slightly higher standard.

But the premise for Whisper House is intriguing, and although the CD doesn't really float my musical boat, I'm willing to give Whisper House the musical the benefit of the doubt. Perhaps as the show develops, the songs will become more integrated into the story. Or perhaps the show will feature a presentation style that will make the songs work in their current form. No word yet as to when the show might appear on stage, but Sheik is currently performing the songs from the show on tour. If you happen to catch his show, let me know what you think. I'm hoping to see for myself when Sheik plays Boston's Berklee Performance Center in March.

January 22, 2009

For years, I haven't been all that interested in going to the movies. I even canceled my Netflix subscription because the DVDs were sitting unwatched on my coffee table for months on end. I think it might be an ADD thing: most of my recent entertainment has been in the form of watching TV shows on DVD or fast-forwarding through very select cable shows on TiVo.

But starting in the fall, my interest in movie going became rekindled by a number of theater-related releases, a number of which received Oscar nods when the Academy Award nominations were announced this morning. Here's my decidedly myopic take on those nominations.

Beyond the stage-to-screen adaptations, there's the marvelous "WALL-E," which earned six nominations, including ones for best animated feature and best original screenplay. (Read my review of "WALL-E" here.) Regular readers will recall why this movie is of theatrical interest: in the course of the events in this lovely film, showtunes -- in particular, those from the film version of "Hello, Dolly!" -- play a significant role in nothing less than saving the frickin' world itself. I mean, what's not to love? I was disappointed that "WALL-E" didn't snag a nom for best picture, but it's pretty clear that the movie's going to win, at the very least, best animated feature. (It's up against "Bolt" and "Kung Fu Panda." Hello.)

Also of note: the well-received Gus Van Sant movie "Milk" garnered eight nominations, including those for best picture and best
adapted screenplay. Yeah, this isn't really theater-related, but it is gay-related -- and, really,
on some level, aren't they really the same thing? Of both theatrical and gay interest is the fact that hottie Hugh Jackman
will host the February 22nd Academy Awards.

January 21, 2009

Regular readers will recall what I thought of Road Show, the "new" Stephen Sondheim musical that recently completed its run at the Public Theater. (In short: not much. Read my review here.) But, as is true of any Sondheim endeavor, there were countless gems to savor in the show's score, even if the piece as a whole didn't quite gel.

So I was glad to read yesterday that the wonderful folks at PS Classics will be releasing the Road Show CD sometime in the spring. Sure, the score has been recorded before under the title Bounce -- by the same label, in fact -- but there were considerable changes between the show's manifestations, and there's always room for another recording of a Sondheim show. At least in my CD collection, which admittedly is larger than most. (At last count, I had 1,643 cast recordings and musical-related soundtracks, which I admit with a rare combination of pride and shame.)

Which reminds me of a point that I've been meaning to make here about illegal downloads. I know that there are blogs and Web sites that allow people access to Broadway-related music free of charge. Heck, I myself have made use of these sites, but only to get stuff that isn't commercially available, such as demos and LPs that haven't yet been released on CD.

But downloading is ultimately short-sighted. Record labels such as PS Classics and Ghostlight Records are having a hard enough time surviving as it is. We're not talking overpaid rappers and pop stars here. We're talking struggling actors, writers, composers, and record producers. If we're not willing to pay for music, there won't be any more music in the long run. Illegal downloads have already helped put my beloved Footlight Records out of business. (Although I received an email that said Original Cast Records was going to take over the site and resume operations in February. Watch this space for further info.)

So, when Road Show comes out in the spring, do us all a favor and buy the actual CD, or at least download the MP3 files legally from iTunes or Amazon. Yeah, Stephen Sondheim is pretty much set for life. But the folks at PS Classics aren't, and if we want them to keep putting out top-quality cast recordings and theater-related releases, we need to be willing to pay for the privilege.

January 20, 2009

I never got around to seeing the movie "Hamlet 2" in its theatrical release, but I did finally watch it over the weekend on DVD. I'm glad I wasn't in any rush: it isn't very good.

On paper, "Hamlet 2" is exactly the sort of movie that should appeal to me: a snarky take on high school theatrics, with an over-the-top finale lampooning the likes of "High School Musical" and its multimedia offspring. The material is ripe with parodic possibility, but the filmmakers have squandered the opportunities therein.

In the hands of director Andrew Fleming (the man who gave us "Dick" and "The Craft"), "Hamlet 2" is about as dramatically cohesive as your typical John Waters movie. In other words, not at all. I was reminded in particular of "Pecker," in which Waters shows how the wrong director can make even the most talented actors (including the wonderful Lili Taylor and Martha Plimpton) appear awkward and forced. Fleming achieves a similar feat with the prodigiously talented Catherine Keener, and with the sometimes amusing David Arquette, who's wasted here in a one-joke role for which the joke isn't very funny.

Whatever reason may exist to watch this film lies in the skill of its central performer, Steve Coogan ("I'm Alan Partridge," "Night at the Museum"), a comedian of protean abilities who does what he can to give the limp material some bite, and sometimes succeeds. "Saturday Night Live" alumna Amy Poehler provides a few chuckles in her abbreviated screen time, but overall "Hamlet 2" seems to think that it's a hell of a lot more funny than it really is. The movie fashions itself a cheeky little indie flick with a hip, ironic take on modern society, but it comes off more like the similarly disappointing and disjointed "Wet Hot American Summer": sporadically funny, but overall awkward, sometimes painful to watch.

January 16, 2009

Yeah, I'm not a fan of South Pacific, neither the show itself nor the current smash-hit revival. But I know my readers are interested in the show, and its stars, and I'm certainly not above a little pandering for blog traffic.

Apparently, the lovely and talented Kelli O'Hara, the show's Tony-nominated Nelly Forbush, is pregnant, expecting her first child with husband Greg Naughton. She'll take a leave from the show starting in March, and return sometime in the fall. In the meantime, costumer Catherine Zuber is working on some designs to prevent O'Hara's delicate condition from detracting from the show.

But here's the part that I know a lot of people will be interested in hearing about. O'Hara hopes to return to the show in time to play opposite co-star Paulo Szot before he leaves the show sometime late in 2009. There's been quite a bit of search traffic on my blog over the past few months with terms like "When does Paulo Szot leave South Pacific?" and "When is Szot's contract up?" and stuff like that. So, it appears that Szot (rhymes with "hot") will be sticking with the show at least until the holiday season.

I enjoyed both O'Hara and Szot when I saw the show last March (read my review), and although the show itself alternately bores and irks me, I certainly don't begrudge it its success. Heck, I'm just happy that people are still going to the theater in these troubled times. Even with the economic meltdown, Broadway still has at least four shows (Billy Elliot, Jersey Boys, Wicked, and South Pacific) playing at or near capacity. Sure, it would be great if there were more shows running, but at least someone out there is making money. That speaks to the continuing power and popularity of live theater.

January 15, 2009

I remember back in the 1980s when there was this spate of body-switching comedies, such as "Like Father, Like Son" and "Vice Versa." All were lame, which created lowered expectations for a little sleeper of a movie called "Big," which went on to become a huge hit (and eventually a bad musical, but I digress...) So just because something's been done before, or even done to death, that doesn't mean that something of genuine quality can't slip through and surprise the naysayers.

The show is based on the surprisingly genial 1984 cult film "The Toxic Avenger," and played recently to decent reviews in New Jersey -- appropriately enough, since "Toxie," as he is called by aficionados, is self-described as "New Jersey's First Superhero." And the show's creators boast a fairly decent pedigree. The book and lyrics are by Joe DiPietro (I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now
Change) and the direction is by John Rando (Urinetown). The music comes from Bon Jovi keyboardist David Bryan, who also contributed to the lyrics. The show's Web site has sample tracks from the score, and although Bon Jovi ballads really aren't my idiom, some of the lyrics are really quite clever and funny.

The delightful Nancy Opel, who played the mayor of the town that Toxie terrorizes in the show's world premiere, will reprise her role for the Off-Broadway run. Further casting to be announced. The show begins previews at the New World Stages in March toward an April opening. I hope to take in one of the preview performances. Look for my review here shortly thereafter.

January 13, 2009

Over the weekend, I flew down to Richmond, VA to spend some time with my old friend and colleague Phaedra Hise and her 13-year-old daughter, Lily, the latter of which is has been bitten pretty badly by the stage bug. In fact, she's so obsessed with musical theater that Phaedra's husband Bill has joked that I must be Lily's real father. (Hey, stranger things have happened, but I think Bill can sleep pretty comfortably with the knowledge that that's about as likely as a revival of Lestat.)

It was a lovely weekend all around, but of course we had to take Lily to see a show. Fortunately, the Pre-Broadway engagement of West Side Story was still playing at the National Theater in Washington, DC, so Phaedra and I ventured north to the capital to take Lily and a friend to see it. A good time was had by all.

There's been a lot of press and blog chatter about this production, particularly about how original librettist and current director Arthur Laurents was hoping to accomplish at least three things with this revival:

To make the gang members credibly gang-like

To bring out the raw sexuality of two teenagers in lust

To successfully translate significant portions of the show into Spanish, particularly when there are only Latino characters on stage

So, has Laurents achieved these goals? In short:

Not at all

Sort of

Not really

But it's a testament to the quality of the original piece itself, to Leonard Bernstein's outstanding score, and to Jerome Robbins' brilliant choreography, expertly recreated here by Joey McKneely, that the production succeeds despite Laurents' unrealized ambitions.

Laurents starts the show off with a slow and sinister prologue, then seems to forget his directive to make the gang tension and violence believable. But the trouble here really starts with the casting: there's not a single member of the Jets or the Sharks whom I'd be a-scared of in a dark alley. Street hoodlums these are not. That's one of the constant challenges of West Side Story: you gotta have guys who can dance, but often the best dancers aren't exactly the most masculine or intimidating of men. Take for instance Cody Green
as Riff, who's a terrific dancer, but hasn't a whit of street toughness, nor any spark on stage at all, for that matter. The only gang member who comes even close to the requisite grit is Curtis Holbrook as Action, although I couldn't help thinking of him in his skimpy tunic as Thalia in Xanadu.

Fortunately, the central pair of lovers are reasonably well cast. Matt Cavenaugh (A Catered Affair, Grey Gardens) is terrific as Tony, bringing vocal restraint and emotional honesty to the most important male role. Josefina Scaglione as Maria, a casting discovery from Argentina, seems a bit green. Her voice is sweet but thin, and her acting is at times quite touching, at other times phony and forced. As for the raw sexuality that Laurents promised, it wasn't in evidence at the performance I saw, although Cavenaugh and Scaglione had a frisky, playful quality, and were genuinely moving during the famous balcony sequence.

The strongest member of the cast was Karen Olivo as Anita. I wasn't a fan of Olivo's performance as Vanessa in In The Heights, but in retrospect it may have been the underwritten nature of the role that irked me. Here, Olivo is the best thing on stage, giving Anita the sass and grit that many of her fellow cast mates were sorely in need of.

And then there's the Spanish. Laurents brought in Lin-Manuel Miranda, composer, lyricist and star of In the Heights, to provide Spanish translations for quite a significant portion of the show. The songs and surrounding scenes for "I Feel Pretty" and "A Boy Like That/I Have a Love" are entirely in Spanish. I've gone back and forth on this, but ultimately I think this was a mistake. The Spanish works OK when it's woven into the dialog before "America," or as part of the big ensemble numbers like the "Tonight" quintet. But I found myself tuning out during the extended Spanish sequences, when, alas, my three years of high school Spanish failed to emerge from the depths of my long-term memory. Plus, Miranda's translated lyrics don't always scan well with the music, which is a huge pet peeve of mine.

But, again, the score and the dancing carry the show, which in its essential form is almost a masterpiece. Why almost? Well, I've never been a fan of the "Somewhere" ballet, which was wisely cut from the movie version of "West Side Story." It's basically a fantasy ballet in which Maria and Tony dream of a
place where they can be happy together, and where the Jets and the
Sharks and, yes, even Anybodys, can live in peace and harmony. I have always found it unbearably twee, and this production hasn't changed my mind. I must admit that, when the revival's ballet first started, I almost found myself buying into it. But here, Laurents has given the "Somewhere" solo to a young boy, a new character referred to in the Playbill as "Kiddo." I guess he's supposed to represent innocence, a sort of tabula rasa, before society has inflicted its stereotypes upon his psyche. ("You've got to be taught to hate and fear...") Whatever, it doesn't work, and it only made this sappy scene even more syrupy.

So, overall, this is a very professional production of a nearly perfect show. Laurents hasn't quite (yet?) achieved what he had hoped with this revival, but the quality of the piece itself, as well as the talent of the people on stage, make it a must-see event. West Side Story begins performances at the Palace Theater in New York City on February 23rd toward a March opening. I say, get your tickets now.

January 09, 2009

I was playing around on IBDB tonight, and I came across what appears to be the logo for the upcoming Broadway revival of Hair. (See image left)

Pretty hideous, huh? The colors are washed-out and lifeless, the font is cheesy, and the composition is flat. I find nothing redeeming in this image, and it does little to make me want to see the show. And I've seen it already, and can attest to its quality. (Read my review of the show's Central Park stint.) There's a lot more inspiration involved in the production itself than apparently went into its visual identity. I still plan to see it again, but I can only hope the marketing folk plan to come up with something a bit more evocative and esthetically pleasing to get other folks interested.

The full cast for Hair has yet to be announced, but news has been trickling out. Gavin Creel, who was to have been Jesus in the canceled...er, postponed revival of Godspell, was recently cast in the central role of Claude. I saw Jonathan Groff play the role, and he was terrific, but apparently the Hair producers are asking the performers to work for scale, and Groff balked. Another potential performer who's taken a walk is Eden Espinosa, who was supposed to have played Sheila, but recently withdrew "for personal reasons." (Hmm...) No word yet on whether Will Swenson will return to the show as Berger, or whether he'll instead follow Rock of Ages to Broadway. The ROA gigmight mean more money, although perhaps not, since the ROA tickets are priced to sell (at a relatively inexpensive $99 price point).

And it's not just the on-stage players in Hair that are changing. Producer Elizabeth I. McCann was recently relegated to more of a supporting role when the Public Theater brought in Spring Awakening producers Jeffrey Richards and Jerry Frankel as lead producers. Perhaps this is because McCann was having trouble raising the money to get the show up and running? Whatever, the opening night for Hair has moved from March 5th to March 31st to accomodate the personnel changes. Will the show retain its Central Park sparkle amid the sturm and drang? Stay tuned.

January 08, 2009

Again, all is not entirely dire on Broadway. The producers of the Tony-Award-winning musical In the Heights have announced that the show has recouped its initial $10 million investment after 10 months and 337 performances. That's actually relatively fast, especially since the show has often played to not-quite-capacity crowds. By comparison, Jersey Boys recouped in around 8 months, Wicked in about 7 months, and Spamalot in a little over a year.

I certainly don't begrudge In the Heights its success. Although I really didn't care for the show when I saw it Off-Broadway (read my review), I warmed up to it considerably when I saw the Broadway version (read my re-review). The show is energetic and heartfelt, if a tad cliché, and there's lots of genuine talent on stage and behind the scenes.

It will be interesting to see what happens to In the Heights now, after the holiday season. So many other musicals have been closing left and right, both former hits and shows that never quite gained their economic footing. It seems that only the guaranteed bullet-proof hits are going to make it through the winter, and In the Heights, while now profitable, hasn't quite achieved bullet-proof status. The show's attendance averaged about 84% in 2008, and its grosses hovered at around $750,000, occasionally tipping above the million mark. In any other year, those stats would indicate a show with some legs. But will Broadway in its current economic state be able to accommodate anything other than the mega-musicals and the limited-run, star-driven plays?

January 07, 2009

All is not entirely bleak on the Broadway front. The Roundabout's production of the classic Pal Joey has extended its run at Studio 54 by two weeks. Grosses for the show have been thoroughly decent, if not overwhelming, and the advance must be relatively solid--else why extend?

The actual story seems a bit more complicated. According to Michael Riedel of the New York Post, various production sources weren't thrilled with Hoff's performance. Other reports have intimated that Hoff may have been too old for the part (he's 40), and that choreographer Graciela Daniele may not have been happy with Hoff's hoofing.

The loss of Hoff makes me far less excited about seeing the show; he was simply sensational in Jersey Boys, and Joey seemed like a role tailor-made for his talents. But I'm always up for some Stockard Channing, and Martha Plimpton is apparently making quite the sensation in her Broadway musical debut. I'll be seeing the show on February 7th. Look for my review here shortly thereafter.

January 06, 2009

I've made no secret of my undying affection for the work of Stephen Flaherty and Lynn Ahrens, easily the most talented and versatile musical-theater writing team that we currently have. Which is why I was so disappointed in their most recent show, The Glorious Ones. (Read my review here.) I found the piece unfocused and uninvolving in performance.

Flaherty and Ahrens seem to produce much better shows when they have a separate collaborator working on the libretto, such as Terrence McNally, who helped make Ragtime and A Man of No Importancethe superior shows that they are. When they try to craft the book on their own, well, sometimes we get Once on This Island (yay!), but other times we get Seussical (not so yay).

But I did genuinely enjoy the score to The Glorious Ones, and was greatly looking forward to the release of The Glorious Ones CD, which fortunately does not disappoint. The show is much more emotionally engaging on CD, without the distraction of director Graciela Danielle's often wearisome stage business. Stephen Flaherty once again proves himself a master of evocative and often intricate melody lines. Lynn Ahrens' lyrics work better when they're meant to be poignant that when they're trying to be funny. Both the vulgarity and the jocularity, although certainly true to the the source material, come off forced and unconvincing. But Flaherty and Ahrens demonstrate in this score two of their greatest strengths: the rousing opening number ("The Glorious Ones") and the stirring 11 o'clock anthem ("I Was Here"). Both will doubtless be in regular rotation on my iPod.

One flaw from the show that remains on CD is the lack of distinct characterizations, particularly those of the young lovers, Isabella and Francesco. The numbers for these characters remain dull and indistinct. But overall, this is a strong and solid score, and an entertaining CD. Of course, anything new from Flaherty and Ahrens is a reason to celebrate. Let's hope that they're planning, nay writing, their next show even as we "speak."

January 02, 2009

Lately, the movies have been helping me catch up on some of the dramas that I missed on Broadway. Doubt was one. I had never seen the play live, but I was thoroughly captivated by John Patrick Shanley's film adaptation. (See my review here.)

In fairness, I hear good things about "A Beautiful Mind," but I have no intention of seeing it, mostly because Russell Crowe makes me peevish. And "Apollo 13" just never really appealed to me, although it's apparently a decent flick as well. The only Ron Howard movie I've enjoyed is "Parenthood," but even then it was only really for the terrific performances, particularly that of the wonderful Dianne Wiest.

So it was with great reservation that I took in "Frost/Nixon," but I'm happy to report that I genuinely enjoyed the movie. Howard seems to have developed as a filmmaker, although not quite to the point where I'd consider him a master, merely competent. For the most part, he eschews the hokey, Capraesque touches that mar much of his previous work, with a few groan-worthy exceptions. With the able assistance of Peter Morgan, who crafted the screenplay for "Frost/Nixon" from his original play, Howard creates here a terrific sense of time and place, providing just enough context to bring the drama alive.

There's been a lot of discussion as to the historical accuracy of the play and the movie. One major criticism has focused on the fictitious phone call the Richard Nixon makes to Frost shortly before the final TV interview. I really didn't have a problem with it. The call provides dramatic impetus for Frost to get off his ass and nail this mother to the wall. Perhaps because the events are relatively recent, people have more of a problem with this sort of dramatic device. But when you think of other historical plays -- A Man for All Seasons, say, or The Crucible -- there's even more artifice involved, since with "Frost/Nixon," we at least have the actual interviews and historical documents to compare it to, should anyone be so moved.

The main attraction of "Frost/Nixon" ultimately lies in its two central performances. Of course, there's Frank Langella who friggin' knocks it out of the park as Nixon. The true wonder of Langella is that he handles dramatic and comedic roles with equal aplomb. I had the privilege of seeing Langella as Garry Essendine in the most recent revival of Noel Coward's Present Laughter, and it was an absolute tour de force. Langella brings dimension and credibility to the role of Nixon, shedding light on both the pathos and the bluster of this loathsome and enigmatic man.

But the real revelation for me was Michael Sheen as David Frost. With all due respect to Langella, Frost is the more challenging role here, because he starts out as such a superficial cypher. Sheen imbues the playboy character with great brio, then gradually reveals the layers and complexity behind a man who has just as much to win or lose from this battle of wills as Nixon does. Sheen clearly conveyed the sense that this guy starts out way over his head, only to segue into the requisite ferocity for taking this tarnished titan down.

So, overall, it's a great season for plays on screen, and I highly recommend both "Doubt" and "Frost/Nixon." And we also have the film adaptation of August: Osage County to look forward to, although it looks like we're going to have to wait until at least 2011 to see it.